Folk star Judy Collins for Town Hall show

American folk singer Judy Collins, who has been a constant on the music scene since the 1960s, has been blessed with good genes.

At the age of 76, she’s still going strong, with a tour of Ireland and the UK coming up next month, which will see her play Galway’s Town Hall Theatre on Wednesday, October 7.

That’s nothing compared to her maternal aunt, who at 95 is still driving and taking Tai Chi classes, says Judy with a laugh.

Still, Judy’s own career is pretty impressive. She has released more than 50 albums since she first came on the folk scene in the 1960s, and has given unforgettable interpretations of songs such as Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, Stephen Sondheim’s Send in the Clowns and Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne.

Judy’s latest tour is to mark her new album, Strangers Again, released last week on which she duets with singers young and old, including Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne and Don Mc Lean.

Ireland’s Glen Hansard is in there too, as is Jeff Bridges, while title track is written by and features Ari Hest who is touring with her.

Judy Collins began life as a concert pianist, but found herself drawn to folk during its revival during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Her 1961 album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow, featured songs by artists such as Bob Dylan and Tom Paxton and saw her star rise quickly. During the 1960s she gained a reputation for social and environmental activism, while her singing career blossomed.

Fifty years on, she remarks that she is “very lucky to have stayed at the forefront of what I do”.

But life hasn’t always been plain sailing for this elegant woman, who has faced demons such as depression and alcoholism. Still, she has come out the other end, and remains a social activist, representing UNICEF and also speaking publicly on issues such as mental health and suicide prevention.

“You are part of the social fabric and of your community and your family, so it’s important to show up and be part of the solution not the problem,” she says of her activism.

She’s also involved in writing and film-making as well as singing. But singing is her priority.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.